From U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,280, a connection device is known, wherein a control lever and a support element associated with the connection device are connected via a retaining element in a pivotable and captive manner. This connection device is especially advantageous because it avoids assembly problems in the manufacture of a mechanical valve controller of an internal combustion engine.
The retaining element known from this publication is designed as a sheet metal bracket, wire retaining clamp or plastic retaining cap, which engages into, among other things, an undercut in the support element below the spherical end of said support element. In the version of the sheet metal retaining bracket, to be explained in more detail in the following, this retaining element possesses an essentially U-shaped cross-sectional geometry and comprises two legs that are connected to each other via a connecting section. The first closed-surfaced leg is attached to the cam follower above a receiving calotte, while the second bifurcated leg engages into the undercut of the support element projecting into the calotte. Furthermore, both legs exhibit, on their free ends, retaining collars with which the retaining element may be clamped onto the cam follower as well as the support element in a captive manner.
Although this known connection device has a number of advantages, the fact that various adapted retaining elements are needed for different cam follower geometries still has to be considered as disadvantageous.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,675 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,402, respectively, also disclose other valve controllers for an internal combustion engine with these valve controllers also using wire-shaped retaining elements or retaining elements designed as sheet metal parts for the purpose of connecting the cam follower and the support element. The sheet metal retaining clamp is U-shaped in this case as well, with the two parallel running sheet metal legs being connected to each other via a connecting section.
Furthermore, contrary to U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,280, the two legs exhibit circular or U-shaped receiving openings in the area of their free ends. While the lower leg of this retaining element engages at the support element, the upper leg envelops, with its receiving opening, a portion of the spherical top side of that receiving calotte in which the also spherically shaped top side of the support element is supported in terms of a ball bearing.
Of special significance for the sheet metal retaining clamp, with the geometrically closed openings in the legs, is the fact that respective protrusions project into these receiving openings. The protrusions rest with a friction fit against the undercut-less cylindrical portion of the support element and holding it in a gripper-like manner, or being pressed onto the spherical top side of the support element.
A disadvantage of this type of connection device is that the support element is held only in a gripper-like manner and by friction fit by the sheet metal retaining clamp. Since there is no provision made for an engagement into an undercut (which does not exist in this case) of the support element, it has to be anticipated that the cam follower and the support element will fall apart in the event of heavy mechanical stress.